1790 results about "Optical instrument" patented technology

Alignment accuracy between two or more patterned layers is measured using a metrology target comprising substantially overlapping diffraction gratings formed in a test area of the layers being tested. An optical instrument illuminates all or part of the target area and measures the optical response. The instrument can measure transmission, reflectance, and/or ellipsometric parameters as a function of wavelength, polar angle of incidence, azimuthal angle of incidence, and/or polarization of the illumination and detected light. Overlay error or offset between those layers containing the test gratings is determined by a processor programmed to calculate an optical response for a set of parameters that include overlay error, using a model that accounts for diffraction by the gratings and interaction of the gratings with each others' diffracted field. The model parameters might also take account of manufactured asymmetries. The calculation may involve interpolation of pre-computed entries from a database accessible to the processor. The calculated and measured responses are iteratively compared and the model parameters changed to minimize the difference.

The invention is directed to a bladeless trocar obturator to separate or divaricate body tissue during insertion through a body wall. In one aspect, the obturator of the invention comprises a shaft extending along an axis between a proximal end and a distal end; and a bladeless tip disposed at the distal end of the shaft and having a generally tapered configuration with an outer surface, the outer surface extending distally to a blunt point with a pair of side sections having a common shape and being separated by at least one intermediate section, wherein each of the side sections extends from the blunt point radially outwardly with progressive positions proximally along the axis, and the shaft is sized and configured to receive an optical instrument having a distal end to receive an image of the body tissue. With this aspect, the tapered configuration facilitates separation of different layers of the body tissue and provides proper alignment of the tip between the layers. The side sections include a distal portion and a proximal portion, the distal portion of the side sections being twisted radially with respect to the proximal portion of the side sections. The intermediate section includes a distal portion and a proximal portion, the distal portion of the intermediate section being twisted in a first radial direction and the proximal portion of the intermediate section being twisted in a second radial direction opposite the first radial direction.

An optical instrument, in particular an endoscope, has a shaft and an inter-changeable head. The interchangeable head is detachably connected to the distal end of the shaft at a coupling point. The instrument also has a first transmission system for distal transmission of illuminating power, and a second transmission system for proximal transmission of image information, the first transmission system and the second transmission system passing through the coupling point. The interchangeable head and/or the coupling point are/is designed in such a way that upon loosening of the interchangeable head image information of perceptively modified quality is transmitted by the second transmission system.

An optical instrument including: a thermo-optically tunable, thin film, free-space interference filter having a tunable passband which functions as a wavelength selector, the filter including a sequence of alternating layers of amorphous silicon and a dielectric material deposited one on top of the other and forming a Fabry-Perot cavity structure having: a first multi-layer thin film interference structure forming a first mirror; a thin-film spacer layer deposited on top of the first multi-layer interference structure, the thin-film spacer layer made of amorphous silicon; and a second multi-layer thin film interference structure deposited on top of the thin-film spacer layer and forming a second mirror; a lens for coupling an optical beam into the filter; an optical detector for receiving the optical beam after the optical beam has interacted with the interference filter; and circuitry for heating the thermo-optically tunable interference filter to control a location of the passband.

An image stabilizer has a base block, an inner frame for holding a CCD, an outer frame, a pair of horizontal leaf springs, a pair of vertical leaf springs, voice coil motors (VCMs) and a flexible printed circuit (FPC). Upon a shake of a digital still camera due to hand-held shooting, the VCMs shift the inner or outer frame while bending the horizontal or vertical leaf springs so that the CCD is shifted to counteract the camera shake. The FPC connected to the CCD and the VCMs is routed from the inner frame, through the horizontal leaf spring, the outer frame and the vertical leaf spring, and pulled out above the base block. The FPC is glued to the horizontal and vertical leaf springs, and elastically bent together with the horizontal and vertical leaf springs.

A solid-state image pickup device including a solid-state image pickup element which is curved in a light incident direction and a curvature changing portion which changes a curvature of the solid-state image pickup element, and an optical instrument including a lens unit and a solid-state image pickup element which is curved toward the lens unit and picks up taking an image focused by the lens unit wherein the curvature changing portion changes a curvature radius of the solid-state image pickup element so that the solid-state image pickup element is curved at a first curvature in a telephoto mode and the solid-state image pickup element is curved at a second curvature larger than the first curvature in a wide-angle mode.

A method and apparatus for the measurement of wafer thickness, flatness and the trench depth of any trenches etched thereon using the back surface of the wafer to accurately measure the back side of a trench, rendering the trench an effective bump, capable of being measured on the top surface and the bottom surface through a non-contact optical instrument that simultaneously measures the wavelength of the top surface and bottom surface of the wafer, converting the distance between wavelengths to a thickness measurement, using a light source that renders the material of which the wafer is composed transparent in that wavelength range, i.e., using the near infrared region for measuring the thickness and trench depth measurement of wafers made of silicon, which is opaque in the visible region and transparent in the near infrared region. Thickness and flatness, as well as localized shape, can also be measured using a calibration method that utilizes a pair of optical styli.

A foreign-particle detection system for use with an optical instrument having a transmissive window with a first side and a second side includes a radiation source to emit a radiation signal, a diffusing reflector to diffusively spread the radiation signal emitted by the radiation source over the first side of the transmissive window, a radiation detector to detect, at the second side of the transmissive window, the diffusively spread radiation signal transmitted by the transmissive window, and to generate a detected radiation signal based on the detected diffusively spread radiation signal, and a computation module communicatively coupled to the radiation detector to detect a presence of foreign particles on at least one of the first side or the second side of the transmissive window based on at least the detected radiation signal.

A multiple depth display provided for displaying images at different depths comprises a single display device (61), for displaying all of the images. An optical system (62, 63, 64) is disposed in front of the display device (61). The optical system comprises first and second spaced-apart partial reflectors (62, 63) and polarization optics (64) for providing first and second light paths for first and second images or sequences of images displayed by the device (61). The first light path (65) comprises partial transmission through the first reflector (62), partial reflection from the second reflector (63), partial reflection from the first reflector (62), and partial transmission through the second reflector (65) towards a viewing region.

Apparatus for measuring surveying parameters, such as distances and angular displacements between an instrument survey station and a mobile survey station, with improved accuracy. The invention combines a differential satellite positioning system (DSATPS), available with positioning systems such as GPS and GLONASS, with electromagnetic measurements of distances and optically encoded angles by a conventional electro-optical survey instrument to provide survey measurements that can be accurate to within a few millimeters in favorable situations. The DSATPS relies upon pseudorange measurements or upon carrier phase measurements, after removal of certain phase integer ambiguities associated with carrier phase SATPS signals. The SATPS may be retrofitted within the housing of the conventional electro-optical instrument. In a first approach, a remote station provides DSATPS corrections for the mobile station and/or for the instrument station. In a second approach, the mobile station provides DSATPS corrections for itself and for the instrument station. In a third approach, the instrument station provides DSATPS corrections for itself and for the mobile station.

An ophthalmic apparatus for precisely positioning an optical instrument, such as a wavefront aberrometer, in three dimensions with respect to a patient's eye. The ophthalmic apparatus may include an optical instrument directed in a first direction toward a target area to receive light therefrom and a camera directed in a second direction toward the target area to receive light therefrom, the first and second directions being non-parallel. The camera may include imaging optics to form an optical image on a photodetector array using light reflected from the target area. The ophthalmic apparatus may also include a processor configured to correlate a position of the optical image on the photodetector array with the distance between the optical instrument and the target area.

The invention provides methods of focusing an instrument for the acquisition of optical data from a tissue sample. Methods of the invention allow rapid focusing in the context of a diagnostic procedure in which rapid data acquisition is desirable. For example, inventive methods allow a user to focus an optical instrument quickly enough to obtain data within an optimal window of time following application of a chemical agent to the tissue. In one embodiment, a user focuses an optical instrument by aligning laser spots projected onto a tissue sample within rings that are superimposed at predetermined locations within the user's visual field. Preferred methods of the invention further comprise automatic validation to detect whether the spots are sufficiently well-aligned.

The invention provides aqueous diamond polishing liquid, process for preparation and purpose. The main components are diadust, dispersion stabilizer, suspending agent, pH modifying agent, antiseptic agent, organic solvent and deionized water. The preparing technique of the invention is that organic solvent, diadust, prior prepared suspending agent, deionized water and dispersion stabilizer are mixed, then the mixture is stirred or supersonically dispersed uniformly, finally pH modifying agent and antiseptic agent are added, and the preparation is accomplished after shaking up. The lapping liquid can be widely used in grinding and polishing in various departments and areas of optical instruments, glasses, ceramics, rigid alloy, diamonds, artificial lens, optical fiber, LED display, integrated circuit, semiconductor, hard disk and the like. The lapping liquid can be kept in uniform and stable state, generates no precipitation, delamination or invalidation.

A hand-held, small, lightweight instrument is disclosed that contains a light source capable of producing radiant energy in the spectral range between approximately 370 and approximately 410 nm, and an optical direction system for irradiating a target tissue by producing an illuminated spot thereon. A collection system is provided for receiving and directing fluorescent emissions in the frequency range between 450 and 700 nm returned from the target area to a detector. A processing system is used to determine the state of the tissue by using at least two and up to five spectral bands, preferably each being larger than 45 nm. Pairs of ratios of fluorescent intensities are compared to identify cancerous cells. An alphanumeric, false-color image and/or audio signal is immediately provided to inform a user of the state of the tissue.

An optical instrument and a method for obtaining distance and image information of an object is disclosed to improve the speed and accuracy of data acquisition. The instrument comprises a camera, positioning unit, distance measuring unit, lens arrangement and control unit. The camera acquires images of an object and the control unit defines an area to be scanned and measurement pixels of an object in the image, wherein the measurement pixels are converted into an approximation of coordinates of positions to be measured assuming a default distance to the positions, and the optical axis of the lens arrangement is adjusted sequentially onto the positions to be measured. After measuring the distances to the positions, the coordinates are recalculated increasing the accuracy of the coordinates.

The invention which relates to an optical instrument and detection imaging technique discloses a large field depth iris image acquisition system and a method based on a plurality of fixed-focus cameras. The system comprises an iris image collecting device and an image recognition device. The method comprises the following steps: respectively imaging the iris by means of the fixed-focus cameras having different imaging object distance ranges and producing a multi-path fixed-focus image results; choosing one or a plurality of multi-path fixed-focus image results through distance measurement or image quality evaluation method; carrying out image processing and identification of chosen qualified iris image data. The invention effectively integrates the imaging ranges of different fixed-focus cameras in the mode of self-adapting switchover, thereby taking advantages of the cameras and at same time removing disadvantages of the cameras, enlarging the integral imaging range of the acquisition system, and improving the feasibility of an iris recognition system. Compared with the prior iris imaging method adopting a zoom camera, the invention has the advantages of low cost, quick and noiseless focusing.

Systems and methods are provided for obtaining sight screenings, optical prescriptions and fittings for eyeglasses and contact lenses. A system can be self-operated through a voice-activated response system that enables an individual to determine one's own refraction, or can be operated with the assistance of a technician. A plurality of customer diagnostic locations can include digital equipment and optical instruments to conduct the sight screening. The data generated at these locations can be transferred to a remotely located eye doctor who interacts with a customer via a live audio-video connection to assist with interpreting the data, diagnosing the customer and operating the instruments at the locations. The eye doctor diagnoses, consults and authorizes the prescriptions for the customer. The customer's data can be sent to a lens laboratory to enable the fabrication, purchasing, and delivery of eyeglasses or contact lenses.